The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ooc]This is a rule system I'm designing for my Paragon setting (http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,210261.0.html).[/ooc]


BASIC GAME MECHANICS

Most checks in this game are skill checks, resolved via dice rolls adding together a 12-sided base die, a number of 6-sided dice determined by the character's force attribute, and a double the character's skill rank as a flat modifier:

d12  +  [Force Attribute]d6  +  [Skill] x2

Other checks are attribute checks, which are resolved the same way but without a skill as a modifier:

d12  +  [Force Attribute]d6

Force attributes and skills are ranked from 0 to 5.

The result of a dice roll is the sum total of it's individual die results and it's modifiers. This sum is compared against a target number (TN) to see whether the check is passed or failed. If the result is greater or equal to the TN, the check passes. If it's lower than the TN, the check fails. Dice rolls can also be opposed, in which case there is no TN, but the higher of the two rolls wins. Opposed rolls may be rerolled in case they are tied.

The 12-sided die acts as an exploding die, meaning that whenever it rolls a '12' it "explodes". When that happens the die is rolled again, and it's new result is added to the total dice roll result in addition to the previous roll of '12'.

Characters also have point-based pools of resource attributes such as Health and Morale. These resource attributes have maximum values, while the number of points within a pool may increase or decrease between the maximum and zero during the game.

CHARACTER STATS

Power Level

Paragon characters and many kinds of monsters have a Power Level, which is a measure of their progress as supernatural, semi-deific beings ascending the gulf between true mortals and true immortals. It is the very essense of greatness permeating them, effecting most dice rolls. Paragons are able to sense another character's Power Level and thereby try and estimate if they are facing an opponent too formidable to overcome, or too puny to be worth their trouble. Paragon power levels range from 1 up to 5; most paragons are level 1 or 2, while masters are at least level 3. Ordinary people lack a power level entirely.

[note]Admittedly, "Power Level" is a pretty lame term, but unless I can come up with a better one it'll have to do.[/note]
Power Level determines how many points you can spend on force attributes and how high any one force attribute can be ranked:

Power Level	Force Attribute Points Total	Maximum force Attribute Rank
-	10	3
1	15	3
2	20	4
3	25	4
4	30	5
5	35	5

By default, newly created paragon player characters have a Power Level of 1. This represents fresh young paragons that only recently completed their acolyte training and were initiated into the Paragon Order as full-fledged members. If desired it is possible to begin a game at a higher Power Level.

Force Attributes

A character has five attributes that correspond to the five cosmic forces of the universe. Force attributes represent the presense of these forces in the character's mind, body and soul. Different characters have differing amounts of the forces within them: one character may be strong in Fire and weak in Light, while another one is strong in Thunder and weak in Fire.

[note]Wind is the most important force attribute to paragons. Every paragon player character should be strong in Wind, although maximising it isn't necessary.[/note]
The Force Attributes:
- Fire
- Wind
- Thunder
- Light
- Shadow


Force attribute ranks are determined at character creation. A character has a number of points to spend on increasing force attributes, determined by their power level. The first rank of a force attribute costs one point, the second rank costs two points, and so on. Thus the point cost of raising a force attribute increases rapidly:

Force Attribute Rank	Total cost
0	0
1	0+1 = 1
2	0+1+2 = 3
3	0+1+2+3 = 6
4	0+1+2+3+4 = 10
5	0+1+2+3+4+5 = 15

Resource Attributes

Three vital resource attributes that measure the distance between a character and it's death:

Health represents a character's ability to withstand injury.

• Health is measured in points that range from zero to the maximum Health attribute score. They can be thought of as bodily hit points.
• Suffering damage (from eg. being struck in combat) reduces Health.
• When a character's Health drops below 10, the character is incapacitated, unable to move or defend themselves until the character has recovered from this condition.
• When a character's Health drops to zero, the character dies a bodily death and is removed from play. Depending on circumstances the character may appear or be contacted as a NPC ghost.
• Most characters have a maximum Health score of 20.

Face represents a character's integration and acceptance in society.

• Face is measured in points that range from zero to the maximum Face attribute score. They can be thought of as social hit points.
• Publically committing shameful or contemptuous acts reduces a character's Face. Only major transgressions can reduce a character's Face below 10; minor embarrassments affect only the 10+ portion of the attribute score.
• When a character's Face drops below 10, the character is disgraced and banned from attending meetings with dignified NPCs and from partaking in the gift economy until the character has recovered from this condition. A disgraced character is also limited in training opportunities and therefore suffers from slower progression in character advancement.
• When a character's Face drops to zero, the character dies a social death, becoming a pariah unwelcome in polite society. The character's Face is thereafter locked to zero and cannot change. A player character who becomes a pariah is effectively unplayable and thus turned into a NPC.
• Most characters have a maximum Face score of 20.

Purity represents a character's humanity and ritual cleanliness.

• Purity is measured in points that range from zero to the maximum Purity attribute score. They can be thought of as spiritual hit points.
• Committing atrocities and ritually impure or taboo actions reduces a character's Purity.
• When a character's Purity drops to zero, the character dies a spiritual death. The character's Purity is thereafter locked to zero and cannot change. If the character is also infected with Corruption they immediately fall to the Scourge. Even if uninfected, the character is now effectively defenseless against threats such as Corruption and demonic possession; a player character should be retired or turned into a NPC.
• Most characters have a maximum Purity score of 20.

Other resource attributes:

Stamina represents a character's endurance and staying power.

• Stamina is measured in points that range from zero to the maximum Stamina attribute score.
• Stamina is expended on major physical exertations, such as chaining multiple strikes in combat.
• Stamina regenerates when a character sits down and regulates their breathing.
• When a character's Stamina drops below 10, the character loses 1d6 points of Morale.
• When a character's Stamina drops to zero, the character becomes tired and loses 1d6 points of Morale.
• A character's maximum Stamina score is usually 20.

Heroism represents the greatness that allows a character to rise above his normal limits and perform heroic feats.

• Heroism is measured in points (Hero Points) that range from zero to the Heroism attribute score.
• Hero Points can be expended to boost many actions and to evade or resist harmful effects. They can be regenerated by acting in a bold, heroic manner and taking significant risks.
• Hero Points can be instrumental to enabling player characters to survive a streak of bad luck with dice rolls, but they will be quickly depleted if used too eagerly.
• Most ordinary people have no Heroism score at all. Paragon characters typically have a Heroism score of 5.

Dynama is a mystical power that courses through all forms of life.

• Dynama is measured in points that range from zero to the maximum Dynama attribute score.
• Dynama is expended to use the magical powers and techniques of a paragon character. It slowly regenerates on it's own, but can be regenerated faster by various means, such as by ritualistic sword-worship.
• When a character's Dynama drops to zero, the character is paralyzed.
• Ordinary people have only a little in the way of Dynama and no means of using it. Paragons have exceptionally large pools of Dynama and the ability to channel it into magical powers.

Morale represents a character's resolve to fight and struggle in the face of distress.

• Morale is measured in points that range from zero to the maximum Morale attribute score.
• Disheartening events, such as seeing a friend fall in battle, reduce a character's Morale, while heartening events raise it. Morale regenerates on it's own once the stressful situation has passed.
• When a character's Morale is reduced to zero, the character suffers a morale failure, at which point they must either give up (surrender, flee or cease their efforts) or suffer severe penalties to further actions.
• Some conditions can impose long-term decrements on a character's maximum Morale score.
• Ordinary people generally have less than 10 Morale, while paragon characters have 10 or more.

Corruption

Characters who are exposed to manifestations of the Scourge may become infected with it's impure essence. This causes the contaminated character to accumulate Corruption, which is added as a new attribute score on the character's sheet. Corruption is a numerical score that can rise and drop during game. It is a measure of the power and drive with which the Scourge strives to influence the character, and it does not have maximum limit. Corruption is checked against the character's Purity score: as long as Corruption does not exceed Purity, the character cannot fall to the Scourge without consciously embracing it. When Purity is exceeded by Corruption things change, and the character will have to start rolling checks to resist being consumed by the hungry contagion. Each failed check reduces the character's Purity, creating a rapid spiral toward spiritual death. When an infected character loses all Purity, they fall to the Scourge.

Oh, a system design thread, of course I have some input. :grin:

The dice mechanic you're using is very similar to the one from Q&D, so I can chime in my experience from playing Q&D games. The good thing about this mechanic is that the increase in dice does lead to a feeling of progression, while there still being some chance of failure... but that also gets into the downside. The thing about rolling more dice the better you get is that the system gets more swingy the better you are at something, when in real life often one of the goals of becoming better at something is to be more consistent. The amount of swinginess might also get to be a bit much depending on the feel of the game-- there's a non-trivial chance someone with 0 dice can beat someone with 2, and a remote but real chance they can beat someone with 3, and with the costs to get more dice going up faster than linearly, this could lead to some very diminished returns very quickly. If you're trying to encourage generalists over specialists, this might not be wholly undesirable, but it could also lead to a game where it felt like it was hard to excel. Q&D was also based around "failing" a roll often turning into "success at a cost," so the swinginess was desirable, but if your game isn't based around that, it might not be the best choice mechanically.

As an aside, I don't really understand the point of doubling skills. Why not just let them go from 0-10 and give the system a little finer granularity?

I don't like the idea that Wind is better. I mean, at least you're honest about it, while some systems have a stat that is better and leave it to players to learn the hard way... but, on the other hand, you know this going in, so why? Your system uses levels, so why not just connect these "essential" tasks to level and leave the stats for places where characters can actually diversify? I mean, it seems like any player who cares about optimizing isn't actually going to actually have 15 points at all, but rather automatically put a 3 into Wind and have 9 points left. I also am not sure what it means that a starting Paragon only has 5 more points (not even enough for a 3) and no higher stat cap than a mundane human, but maybe that's to encourage room for growth... but then the way the costs of improving stats rises so highly sort of makes too much growth hard. I'm just not sure what kind of play this system is trying to encourage.

Lastly, I personally think you've got too many pools of points. Having 3 pools of points, any of which reduced to 0 can kill you (or at least take you out of the game) seems pretty rough. Health at least makes sense, but I don't really understand what "social death" means at all, because it seems like in a world as open and unexplored as Paragon's you could just pack up and leave, or whatever. Different areas have different social standards, anyway, so tying this to some universal "health" stat seems like a big stretch. I'll admit I'm against automatic "you're dead" failure states anyway-- I feel like more forgiving failure states can encourage more unforgiving challenges, and I like that-- but I'm especially against multiple "you're dead" failure states that don't even seem like they should automatically mean you don't get to play your character any more. It seems like you could do well with Fate-style "Physical" and "Mental" health tracks, where your Physical track is essentially Health with some of Stamina possibly rolled in, while your Mental track is essentially a combination of Face and Morale. Purity and Dynama also seem like they could be combined into some sort of supernatural power pool, although I'm not really fond of Purity in general-- it seems too prone to ending up like the worst aspects of oldschool D&D alignment where you basically get punished for doing stuff the GM doesn't think you should do-- but it seems a lot more tolerable if such violations simply punish your supernatural power pool rather than potentially taking you out of the game for good. I'm unsure as to whether I think Stamina and Dynama even need to be separated. I understand there's a good reason for it-- Stamina is for mundane things, and Dynama is for mystical things, essentially, but since all Paragons are going to have both, it seems like it might just be annoying bookkeeping, and it might just be better to just give Paragons more stuff they can do with the single pool than mundanes; that is, mundanes just get the "Stamina powers" while Paragons get both the "Stamina powers" and the "Dynama powers."

Of course, I do like Heroism, because I am usually fond of meta-point mechanics. :grin:

The swinginess isn't that much of an issue IMO. Adding more dice creates an ever steeper probability curve while also maintaining a possibility of a very low roll, and thus a failure even at relatively easy tasks. Having a force attribute at zero is definitely a weakness though, since all you got to roll is the d12. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it would discourage min-maxing. One possible way to remedy it would be treating the d12 as an exploding die.

The skill rank is doubled for skill checks so that I can keep the ranks to the 0-5 range and use the same ramping up pricing sheme for their point buy as with the force attributes. Without the doubling skills would be too insignificant, since each rank in a relevant force attribute is an average bonus of +3.5. I might even change it to tripling if it seems that skills lack oomph, but I do like the idea of the force attributes (and therefore the power level) being relevant measures of a character's power.

What doesn't come across from the rules posted thus far is that skills are completely divorced from power level. Skills represent knowledge and ability gained through learning, while power level & force attributes represent ability gained via supernatural transformations that explicitly happen in-setting -- there's basically a magical ritual that a character performs, that transforms the character into a more powerful being (-> go up a power level). You do need to first go through training to be able to successfully perform that ritual ("unlocking" your potential by ordeals and hard work) but it's not about learning.

Regarding the wind thing: I like the idea that paragons have a sympathetic connection to wind, that they are favored by this particular cosmic force or simply following a way of life that naturally aligns with the qualities and symbology of wind. The system is used for statting non-paragon characters and monsters too, and those won't have the same affiliation. I also dislike the obsession with symmetry and rock-paper-scissors schemes that a lot of magic systems have when it comes to representing elements/forces/schools, etc. It feels way too tidy and artificial. Although game balance is definitely a concern here.

I agree that there's a quite large number of point pools, but I think they all have an important part to play. Morale is very important as a mechanic that determines when enemies flee or surrender, which is something that should happen much more often than their fighting to death. Stamina and dynama need to be separate so that paragons (who have large pools of dynama but much smaller pools of stamina) will be in risk of being exhausted if they spend their stamina too rapidly. I could change corruption to be an on/off flag and simply have it sap a character's purity, but that may not be quite what I'm after. What I like about the current setup is that corruption is fairly harmless as long as it stays below your purity, but either attribute changing could spell trouble.

Regarding the three deaths: They all represent points of no return where the character becomes effectively unplayable. In all cases the character may still be around, just as an NPC rather than a PC. A bodily dead character is a ghost, either stuck in the world of the living or moved on to the afterlife. A socially dead character is dead in the eyes of their peers, shunned and disgraced and possibly exiled; like a cop who took bribes or a doctor who experimented with unethical treatments, they are forever banned from returning to their line of work. A spiritually dead character is a soulless husk of a person, or a delirious madman.

Quote from: GhostmanThe swinginess isn't that much of an issue IMO. Adding more dice creates an ever steeper probability curve while also maintaining a possibility of a very low roll, and thus a failure even at relatively easy tasks.

Right, I pointed that out, too. The question is if that's desired in a game like this... awesome heroes don't usually fail at relatively easy tasks. That said, having high skills could compensate, and it would be a reason to invest in them. So I don't know.

Quote from: GhostmanThe skill rank is doubled for skill checks so that I can keep the ranks to the 0-5 range and use the same ramping up pricing sheme for their point buy as with the force attributes. Without the doubling skills would be too insignificant, since each rank in a relevant force attribute is an average bonus of +3.5. I might even change it to tripling if it seems that skills lack oomph, but I do like the idea of the force attributes (and therefore the power level) being relevant measures of a character's power.

Right, I thought it was obvious that you'd have to price skills differently, but if not, then, yes, you'd have to price skills differently. I didn't see this as a problem because I assumed there would be many more skills available (systems that add Stat+Skill usually have general stats and specific skills anyway) so you'd probably need a different cost structure to have a reasonable amount of skills, anyway.

Quote from: GhostmanI also dislike the obsession with symmetry and rock-paper-scissors schemes that a lot of magic systems have when it comes to representing elements/forces/schools, etc. It feels way too tidy and artificial. Although game balance is definitely a concern here.

Fluff-wise, I agree with you. However, from a game balance perspective, if you have a pool of points to spend on five different options of equal cost, those five things should be roughly equal. That's not to say they need to do the same things, or be applicable in the same situations, but they should all roughly provide the same amount of "bang for the buck." A system that overtly states that one stat is going to be more essential than the others fails to do this right away. Like I said, anyone who cares about optimizing isn't actually going to spend 15 points, they're going to put an automatic 3 ranks into Wind and then spend 9 points. This decreases build diversity and creates trap options, and is just a bad thing to do mechanically.

Quote from: GhostmanMorale is very important as a mechanic that determines when enemies flee or surrender, which is something that should happen much more often than their fighting to death.

This is a valid issue, but I also think that this only necessitates a separate pool if you remain committed to the idea that "0 health = dead," which is not required or even all that great. I'll confess a certain bias toward Fate-like mechanics, but I think the way it handles a situation like this is pretty elegant. When they take damage in combat, characters accrue stress (and eventually, consequences) and when a character is reduced to 0 stress, that character is taken out, which can be whatever it needs to be for the situation. There's also the option to concede a conflict before your stress hits 0 in order to have some say in what happens to you, such as fleeing instead of being beaten/killed/whatever, and enemies conceding (and fleeing) in the face of mounting stress reflects morale breaking pretty well, in my experience. I also like that it puts the choice of whether to flee or push on in the player's hands, rather than a pool of points mandating "you've lost the will to fight."

Quote from: GhostmanStamina and dynama need to be separate so that paragons (who have large pools of dynama but much smaller pools of stamina) will be in risk of being exhausted if they spend their stamina too rapidly.

Right, I understand there are good reasons to keep them separate, but I remain unconvinced those reasons are better than the (in my opinion) also good reasons to unify them. Can they trade Dynama for Stamina at all? If not, it seems a bit odd that nobody has found a way to harness this supernatural power in order to enhance physical abilities.

Quote from: GhostmanWhat I like about the current setup is that corruption is fairly harmless as long as it stays below your purity, but either attribute changing could spell trouble.

I don't like the corruption mechanic at all, to be blunt about it, because I dislike death spiral mechanics.

Quote from: GhostmanRegarding the three deaths: They all represent points of no return where the character becomes effectively unplayable. In all cases the character may still be around, just as an NPC rather than a PC. A bodily dead character is a ghost, either stuck in the world of the living or moved on to the afterlife. A socially dead character is dead in the eyes of their peers, shunned and disgraced and possibly exiled; like a cop who took bribes or a doctor who experimented with unethical treatments, they are forever banned from returning to their line of work. A spiritually dead character is a soulless husk of a person, or a delirious madman.

Personally, I would call a shunned and disgraced character an interesting story arc rather than an unplayable character. I think it creates some real player agency issues to simply take the character out of play at this point, though from the rather deterministic nature of the setting I guess I can understand how it might not be within the scope of the intended game. However, I think "social death" can also create troublesome player agency issues with characters who aren't involved-- since the social mechanic dictates how other people react, it means that if my character is in a party with a shunned (and removed from play) character, the system is mandating that she shun the "socially dead" character as well, regardless of how she herself may feel.

I've changed the rules on the three health stats a little, hopefully making them clearer and fairer. It's now much harder to lose face completely, and spiritual death simply causes extreme vulnerability to varieties of supernatural nastiness. Which would be unlikely to affect a random peasant NPC, but is basically a game ending condition for a PC.

Skills

Skills represent learned knowledge and ability in various broad activities. They are ranked from 0 to 5, but count as double when applied to skill checks.

Each skill is based on one of the 5 force attributes.

Fire-based skills:

• Melee: Attacking with and defending against melee strikes.
• Athletics: Practice athletic sports, climb, balance, jump.
• Healing: Administer first aid and medicine.
• Arts: Perform inspiring poetry, flute-playing, dancing.

Wind-based skills:

• Triarmatura: The magical martial art of paragons, using triarma. (Cannot be higher than the sum of the character's Melee and Missile skills.)
• Travel: Find your way without getting lost, camp safely, arrive at destination in timely manner.
• Etiquette: Avoid faux-pas, give a good impression, request audiences, gather information.
• Ritual: Conduct religious, meditative and social rituals.

Thunder-based skills:

• Missile: Attacking with and evading ranged strikes.
• Leadership: Inspire comrades, assert authority over underlings, organize complicated operations, devise effective tactics.
• Cavalry: Ride and tend to mounts, knowledge about mounts.
• Initiative: Seize the advantage in combat and other critical scenes.

Light-based skills:

• Lore: Knowledge about scholarly subjects, unravel riddles.
• Forbidden Lore: Same as lore, but concerning secret and unwholesome subjects.
• Heraldry: Knowledge about important people, recognize people.
• Investigation: Find clues, detect hidden foes, unravel plots.

Shadow-based skills:

• Mysticism: Knowledge about esoteric and religious subjects, parley with demons of Pandemonium.
• Stealth: Hide yourself or conceal items, slip past guards undetected.
• Hunting: Practice sport hunting, follow tracks.
• Intuition: Act on instinct, avoid undetected danger.

Skill ranks are determined at character creation. To start with, a paragon character has a set of skill ranks granted by their path. The character also has a number of skill points to spend on purchasing further skill ranks, with the cost of each rank progressively increasing the same way that the cost of attributes does:

Skill Rank	Total cost
0	0
1	0+1 = 1
2	0+1+2 = 3
3	0+1+2+3 = 6
4	0+1+2+3+4 = 10
5	0+1+2+3+4+5 = 15

PHASES OF THE GAME

Paragon RPG play alternates between two phases: the Citadel Phase and the Adventure Phase.

The Citadel Phase takes place in the player character's home base: the skyward realm and it's citadel. The phase covers the span of everyday life that runs it's course when the characters are not undertaking exciting and unusual missions. This span of time between adventures may vary from weeks to months, or even years. Players have to make decisions on what sort of activities their characters spend their time on during a citadel phase. They usually have the choise of following options:

• Exchange of gifts and favours with NPC paragons. PCs may be able to acquire new items or owed favours, but may also end up indebted themselves.
• Acts of charity and goodwill, which enable disgraced characters to become reconciliated with society and recover lost Face.
• Training, which generates skill points to allocate on characters' skills, new techniques and powers, and increments to Morale.
• Courtly activities, which can cultivate new and existing alliances, although it may also result in rivalries and enmities.
• Pilgrimages, asceticism, purification rituals and other forms of religious austerities. By enduring these, characters may recover from loss of Purity and cleanse themselves of the vile Corruption of the Scourge.
• Medicinal treatment. By resting under the care of the citadel's physicians, injured characters may recuperate lost Health.
• Information gathering, which can increase the characters' knowledge of the world and of recent events.
• Contests and displays of impressive feats, such as hunting, athletics or poetry. Successful performance may result in prizes and other rewards, though there is a risk that characters embarrass themselves.

These activities primarily take place off-screen and are to be quickly resolved via game mechanics, while players give short narrations on what their characters were up to during the phase. Particular scenes that are of importance to plot or otherwise interesting may be roleplayed in detail. Depending on the length of time being passed, the game master may allow 1-3 activities to be selected by each player character. The same activity may be selected more than once during the phase -- for example, a severely wounded character may spend two activities on medicinal treatment if one would not be sufficient for a full recovery. PCs may be limited to a maximum of a single training activity in order to enforce a similar pace of advancement in skills, techniques and powers.

The Adventure Phase covers the time that player characters partake in an adventuring scenario, though it glosses over most of the minutiae and focuses on meaningful and relevant scenes. Typically the Adventure Phase begins with a briefing by the PCs' master, who presents them with their next mission and outfits them for the task. Following their briefing the characters may need to embark on a journey, which could be a major undertaking in and of itself. Arriving on their destination, they have to deal with what ever problem they were dispatched to take care of, as well as any obstacles and complications that may arise. The Adventure Phase usually concludes with the PCs returning home from their endeavour and receiving rewards according to their merits.

VIOLENCE

Violent confrontations put characters' very lives at stake, and are therefore resolved via a dedicated subsystem.


Killing Intent

Characters who desire or anticipate an outbreak of violence may declare a killing intent toward their perceived foes. A killing intent reflects a character's mental preparation to commit to a potentially lethal confrontation. It may also arise from a character's intense feelings of contempt or hatred toward another character. By declaring killing intent, a character gains a +1d6 bonus to Initiative and 5 temporary Morale points for a combat sequence against these foes, in case that violence does come to take place during the scene.

However, declaring killing intent also causes a character to radiate a murderous aura, which may betray the character's hostility or even their presense (thereby foiling stealth efforts) to foes. All human beings and many kinds of monsters are capable of sensing a murderous aura, although paragons are supernally perceptive of them -- an ordinary person might simply experience goosebumps and a vague feeling of dread, not necessarily recognizing it's source as another person, whereas a paragon would be certain of the nature, cause and origin of the aura.

Sensing a murderous aura requires passing an Intuition skill check vs TN 12.

Some powerful paragons and other magical beings may be able to conceal their murderous aura, or alternatively, to strengthen it so that it instills fear upon their enemies.


Starting a Violent Confrontation

A combat sequence begins when one or more characters resort to violence against others. Depending on the events leading up to that point the battle may be started either openly, or with one side taking the other by surprise.


Readying Weapons
A character may both draw a sheathed weapon and sheath a drawn weapon once during a round of combat without it counting as their action for the round. They may even do so outside their own turn. Readying a weapon that cannot be drawn from a sheath usually takes the character's action for the round, assuming that the weapon is otherwise accessible -- alert combatants may begin a battle with their weapons at the ready, though. A weapon may be freely dropped at any point, even outside one's own turn.


Turns and Initiative

At the onset of violence, all combatants roll Initiative. Combat proceeds in rounds, with combatants taking turns in the order of Initiative (highest to lowest). During their turn a combatant may move, engage with an enemy, or perform other kinds of actions.


Exchanges

[note]During a surprise round, a combatant initiating an exchange against a surprised foe acts first regardless of Initiative. Hero Points can be expended to seize the offensive: a combatant who expends more HP than their opponent always gets to act first, regardless of Initiative and surprise assaults.[/note]A combatant engaging with another initiates an exchange between the two. An exchange consists of attacks and defenses, magical and mundane alike, performed by each engaging combatant against the other one. The combatant with the higher Initiative acts first, their opponent acts second. If the two are equal in Initiative then they will act simultaneously.

By default, a combatant gets to perform a single action during an exchange. In some cases it is possible to chain multiple actions (such as strikes) in rapid succession, at the cost of Stamina. The exchange ends when one of the combatants is cut down or otherwise defeated, or when both combatants have used up their actions.

An exchange can be either ranged or melee. In a ranged exchange, only ranged attacks can be used. A combatant who does not possess any means of ranged attacking cannot initiate ranged exchanges but may still be forced into a ranged exchange by an enemy -- a decidedly one-sided affair. In a melee exchange most types of ranged attacks are either infeasible or penalised.


Defense

In the interest of reducing the number of dicerolls needed during scenes of violence, combatants possess two Defense scores (melee and missile) that act as target numbers for other combatants striking at them. Defense (Melee) applies against melee weapon and unarmed strikes, while Defense (Missile) applies against missile weapon strikes. Defense is a measure of how difficult it is to hit the combatant with a weapon or an unarmed strike.

For most combatants, Defense scores are calculated by using their Melee and Missile skills and their corresponding force attributes:

Defense (Melee)  =  10 + 3x Fire + 2x Melee
Defense (Missile) = 10 + 3x Wind + 2x Missile

However, paragons possess a special Defense score based on their Triarmatura skill and Wind attribute, which applies against both melee weapon & unarmed and missile weapon strikes:

Defense (Triarmatura) = 10 + 3x Wind + 2x Triarmatura

For most paragons this special Defense score is higher than the other two, and thus is the only one needed.


Striking

The most common action in exchanges is striking the opponent, either with a weapon or with unarmed combat techniques. A strike is resolved in following steps:

[ic=Strike]1. The attacker rolls to strike, using appropriate combat skill, against the defender's Defense score (Melee, Missile or Triarmatura). If the attacker's roll succeeds, it results in a threat (the strike threatens to hit the defender). If the roll fails, the strike misses.

2. The defender has to decide how to react to a threat. If the defender does nothing, the threat turns into a hit. If instead the defender chooses to avoid the strike, the threat is nullified and the strike misses. Avoiding is an action that costs one point of Stamina.

3. When a strike has been confirmed as a hit, the attacker rolls for damage, using a number of dice based on the type of their weapon. The result is inflicted as damage to the opponent, reducing the opponent's Health. In addition to the loss of Health, the defender also loses 1d6 points of Morale.[/ic]

Weapon Type	Damage Roll
Unarmed Strikes	1d6
Weak Weapons	2d6
Strong Weapons	3d6
Triarma	4d6 (3d6 when not powered)

Chaining Strikes

Multiple strikes can be made against an opponent during an exchange. When a roll to strike succeeds (producing a threat), the attacker has the option of immediately following up with another strike. A combatant's first strike during an exchange costs nothing, but all subsequent chained strikes cost one point of Stamina each. When a roll to strike fails (not threatening) the chain ends and no further strikes can be added to it. A combatant can chain up to a maximum of 5 strikes, the first strike included.


Incapacitation

When a combatant's Health drops below half of it's maximum value, the combatant is incapacitated, falling on the ground and unable to move or perform any actions. Incapacitated combatants are completely defenseless and can be finished off trivially easily by a strike of any melee weapon; there is no need to roll to hit or damage. Ranged strikes still need to check for a threat, rolled against a flat TN 10, the defender cannot avoid a hit, and damage need not be rolled. Incapacitated combatants will slowly perish if they are left for dead. First aid applied after battle (Healing skill check vs TN 15) will remove the incapacitation state.

A combatant may resist incapacitation by expending one Hero Point. This can also be used to regain capacity on one's own after already being incapacitated.

Movement and Footing

Detailed grid-based character positioning isn't used in Paragon RPG. Instead, an abstract movement system is employed in scenes of violence. It is assumed that combatants never stand still for long, but are always moving around, maneuvering, closing in on and backing away from their foes. Most of the time there is no cost for movement -- and no benefits for staying still.

All combatants taking part in a battle have a footing, which reflects their attitude, positioning and maneuvering on the battlefield. Footing can be either Forward or Rearward. Combatants in the Forward footing are in the thick of battle, standing boldly out and aggressively engaging their enemies. Those in the Rearward footing are hanging back, taking cover or moving evasively to avoid heavy engagement.

Footing is declared at the beginning of the battle and can be changed during it. Changing from Rearward to Forward footing is free, but changing from Forward to Rearward costs one point of Stamina. This cost can be ignored if the combatant changing their footing forgoes their other actions for the turn instead.

Combatants in the Rearward footing roll one extra die on all defensive combat skill checks, but may initiate only ranged exchanges. Combatants in the Forward position may initiate ranged exchanges against Rearward opponents, and may initiate melee exchanges against all opponents. However, an attempt to initiate a melee exchange against a Rearward opponent requires expending a Stamina point and can be intercepted by enemies or evaded by the targeted combatant (see below).


Interception

When a Forward combatant declares a melee exchange with a Rearward opponent, any of the enemies that are currently in Forward footing may declare an interception. An interception triggers an immediate melee exchange between the attacker and the interceptor. Declaring an interception costs one point of Stamina. If the intercepted combatant defeats the interceptor during this exchange (by causing death, incapacitation, surrender, flight, etc) then they may choose to carry out their originally declared melee exchange -- otherwise that exchange is prevented.


Evasion

A Rearward combatant may attempt to evade a melee exchange declared against them by maneuvering away from the incoming foe. The attempt costs one point of Stamina and requires winning an opposed roll of Athletics (or Cavalry, if mounted) against the opponent. A successful evasion prevents the melee exchange.

Surprise Rounds

Normally, all combatants are considered ready to defend themselves when violence breaks out. Sometimes though, combat begins with one side leveraging the advantage of surprise. This may happen due to the opposition being unaware of their enemies (because of an ambush or other kinds of stealth tactics), but it could also happen simply because they did not expect any hostility and the assault was launched all of a sudden. Those combatants who act with the advantage of surprise get to partake in one round of actions before the normal sequence of rounds. This special round is called the surprise round. All other combatants' turns are skipped during the surprise round, and they may be forced to begin the battle without readied weapons.

Gaining a surprise round via stealth tactics generally requires that the assailers pass Stealth skill checks or otherwise make themselves undetectable by their enemies.

Gaining a surprise round by a sudden, unexpected assault requires declaring killing intent, in an unthreatening situation where the foes are unsuspecting of danger. Those combatants that were able to detect the attacker's murderous aura (or were warned) before the assault will be unsurprised and allowed to act during the surprise round.

Retreat and Pursuit

To retreat from battle, a combatant must be in Rearward footing, capable of moving and choose retreat as the sole action for their turn. If no one engages the retreating character in melee, that character has successfully quit the field on their next turn and is no longer taking any part in the combat. Sometimes conditions may make retreating impossible, such as during fighting onboard a ship in the middle of a sea.

Enemies may choose to pursue a retreating character, though that requires them to retreat from battle themselves. The contest of a pursuit is automatically won by a character that moves significantly faster (eg. a mounted zeetha rider versus a human on foot), otherwise the characters make opposed rolls of Athletics (or Cavalry, if mounted), rerolling any ties.

Armour

Paragons typically don't wear any armour, but other warriors of the world do. Armour protects it's wearer by reducing damage from weapon strikes. This damage reduction does not apply against powered triarma strikes, nor against magical attacks. Wearing armour diminishes it's wearer's maximum Stamina score, a penalty that remains in effect until the armour is taken off. There are two kinds of common sets of armour: cloth armour made of compressed layers of cloth, and scale armour made of metal scales attached on a textile backing. The former is cheaper but heavier and less protective, the latter is expensive. The rank and file of militia typically wear cloth armour, while elite warriors might wear scale.

Armour Type	Damage Reduction	Maximum Stamina
Cloth Armour	2d6	-4
Scale Armour	3d6	-2

Resistance Rolls

Force attribute rolls are sometimes called to resist supernatural and some other kinds of effects; such dicerolls are called resistance rolls. Some of the magical powers used by paragons can be resisted in this way. The force attribute to be used in the roll depends on the effect in question. The following table lists the most common types of effects that may warrant resistance rolls:

Force Attribute	Resistable Effects
Fire	Poison, Stun
Wind	Corruption, Disruption
Thunder	Fear, Mind Control
Light	Illusions
Shadow	Curses

[ooc]Many rules changes and tweaking done. Most significantly the d12 is now treated as an exploding die, and characters have static Defense scores that strike checks are rolled against, instead of using opposed rolls like before.[/ooc]


Triarma

The material parts of a triarma include a golden scabbard and a crystal sword, which are linked to each other and to their owner's soul. They are personal weapons, created and given to paragons when they finish their course of preliminary training as acolytes. The crystal sword can only be sheathed in it's corresponding golden scabbard, and the scabbard can only sheath it's corresponding sword. Triarma parts cannot ever be replaced or changed, but they are also indestructible. A paragon is always able to instinctually locate his golden scabbard, no matter where it might be. As long as he has the scabbard in his possession, he is likewise able to locate his crystal sword.

A paragon may infuse his triarma with magical power at will; usually this is done when drawing the sword. When thusly powered, the crystal blade begins to glow with bright light and the golden sheath is surrounded by a luminous halo. Strikes with a powered triarma inflict 4d6 damage and effortlessly cut through most materials such as wood, metal and stone, completely ignoring damage reduction from armor. Without this infusion of power, the triarma merely strikes for 3d6 damage and doesn't possess supernal cutting ability, although the sword's blade does keep an extraordinarily sharp edge.

A paragon wielding his own triarma uses the Triarmatura skill for both melee and ranged strikes with it, and is able to make use of combat techniques and powers that employ the triarma. Any attempt to wield another character's triarma is treated as using a mundane weapon -- requiring either the Melee skill or the Missile skill, and incompatible with triarma-specific techniques and powers.

POWERS

Paragons learn to channel their Dynama in various different ways. The magics they thusly work are called powers. Some powers take effect and end instantenously when they are used, while others remain in effect as long as the paragon consciously maintains them. A paragon can only make use of a limited number of powers -- those which he has learned. The names of powers are enclosed within guillemets «» to distinguish them from techniques.

Each power requires a minimum score in one or more force attributes for it to be used. These requirements are listed in curly brackets {} before the power's description. For example, a requirement of {Fire 3, Shadow 2} for a power means that a paragon must have a Fire attribute score of 3 or greater and a Shadow attribute score of 2 or greater to be able to use the power in question. When activating a power, a paragon may expend a Hero Point to consider one of his force attributes 1 rank higher than it is, for the purpose of meeting the requirements of that power.

Expending and Committing Dynama

When a paragon uses a power, he must channel some of his Dynama to fuel it's magic. There are two ways to channel Dynama into a power: expending and committing. Expended Dynama is consumed by the power, much like firewood fed into a campfire is consumed. Committed Dynama is merely reserved for a time, and is fully regained when the paragon ceases to use the power. Most powers require a specified amount of Dynama to be expended when the power is activated. Those powers that can be maintained to remain in effect typically require committing a specified amount of Dynama in addition to an amount expended to activate them.

A paragon may have up to 10 x his Power Level of Dynama in total committed and still be able to activate new powers. This is called the character's Commit Limit. Whenever that limit is exceeded, the character cannot activate any more powers. The Commit Limit effectively restricts how many (and how strong) powers a paragon can maintain simultaneously.

Core Powers

The following set of powers is taught to every paragon at every citadel, regardless of path. All paragon characters possess knowledge of these powers.

[spoiler=Core Powers]

«Cyclone Shield»
{Wind 2}
You spin round in a full circle, sweeping the air with an open hand as if cutting through it. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; a small whirlwind rises to surround you, swirling rapidly and moving along with you. This shielding wind persists as long as you maintain this power. Arrows and most thrown weapons aimed at you automatically miss, brushed off their paths by the powerful wind. Telekinetically controlled missiles are unaffected, as are all kinds of melee strikes. The whirling gust around you causes hems of clothing to flutter, nearby bushes and grass to sway, and lightweight objects such as leaves, parasols and hats to be blown away. Handling papyrus scrolls is notably difficult in the midst of such forceful draft.


«Farsight»
{Light 1}
You gaze at a faraway object. Expend 2d6 Dynama; your eyes reveal a magnified vision of the object, close and clear enough to make it out in detail, but you are unable to see anything else while this power is active. To any onlookers it appears that your pupils expand to completely encompass your eyes. This power remains active until you choose to end it or when your line of sight to the object is obstructed for any reason. You cannot use this power if you are blind.


«Flames of Defiance»
{Fire 2, Thunder 2, Shadow 1}
You have just been killed, incapacitated or otherwise rendered in a physically helpless state. Expend 1d6 Dynama; your body ignites in a magical fire. This fire consists of green-blue flames that won't spread, won't emit smoke, and won't burn anything other than your body and personal possessions. The fire cannot be extinguished by any means short of a miracle, and it completely reduces your remains into fine ash in under a minute. This power can be used to sacrifice your life in order to avoid being captured alive, or to destroy your body to prevent it being desecrated or reanimated. Magical effects that constrain the soul or obstruct the flow of Dynama (such as the Dead Wind Touch technique) may prevent you from using this power.


«Flux of Warmth»
{Fire 1}
You quickly clap your hands twice in front of your chest. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; a flow of supernatural heat now courses through your body, reinforcing it against coldness. Any and all symptoms of hypothermia are eradicated. You could stand naked in a blizzard or bathe for hours in near-freezing waters without suffering significant discomfort or harm. While this power is active, you may extend it's effects to another character by holding them in a firm embrace, at the cost of additional 1d6 Dynama.


«Illuminating Flame»
{Fire 1, Light 1}
You snap your fingers and open the palm of your hand in one motion, leaving the palm level and faced upward. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; a sizeable, bright flame appears on your hand. This conjured fire won't burn you, but provides better illumination than any lantern or torch could. The flame may be used to ignite flammable objects. By itself it doesn't emit smoke and it can't be quenched by wind or rain. Closing your hand to a fist, orienting it so that the palm is no longer level and facing upward, or submerging it in water will extinguish the fire.


«Levitation»
{Wind 1}
You sit down cross-legged, resting your sheathed sword across your lap. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; you begin to levitate and may control your altitude, ascending of descending slowly at will. Your levitational state lasts as long as you continue to maintain this power, ending if you either land or use a flight power. Being pushed or shoved by eg. high winds causes the levitation to fail, plunging you into a freefall. If you don't have the sword and sheath of your triarma at hand, you may still use this power at the cost of additional 1d6 Dynama.


«Plasma Orb»
{Fire 1, Thunder 1, Wind 1}
You open your hand as if holding something over it. Expend 2d6 Dynama; you create a blazing, undulating orb of destructive plasma about the size of a watermelon and of the same color as your eyes*, hovering over the open palm of your hand. You can hurl this orb from your hand with a ball-throwing motion, ending with your arm outstretched at the direction of your chosen target. The plasma orb soars in a direct line, leaving an elongated trail like a shooting star. It explodes on impact, blasting the target for 4d6 damage. The orb need not be launched immediately; it persists until released or repealed, emitting a small measure of light and heat. You need to have one hand free to use this power.

You may opt to use both of your hands when activating this power, in which case you generate a somewhat larger orb. Launching it with both arms extended, it makes a roaring sound as it flies, detonating in a mighty explosion that inflicts 5d6 damage to your target and erupts a blast wave that shatters ceramics and knocks over nearby objects such as furniture. A targeted character may be thrown back by the power of the blast. Handling a plasma orb of this size requires both hands free, and it's explosion is easily strong enough to blow open any ordinary door, destroy the rigging of a sailing ship, or partially collapse a wooden bridge.

Plasma orbs can be cut in twain with the crystal blade of a triarma (Triarmatura check vs TN 15). Alternatively, they can be deflected with the golden scabbard (TN 20) and, with a high roll (25+), redirected toward a desired target (including right back at the attacker), though at the cost of reducing the orb's damage by one die on each deflection.

(*) If you have heterochromia, your plasma orb is multi-colored.


«Transcendent Motion»
{Wind 1}
Commit 10 Dynama to maintain; your mastery over the balance and movement of your body transcends the limitations of human physique and gravity. You are capable of superhuman feats of acrobatics and speed: You can balance on fences, treetops, ship's rigging, etc. as if you were nearly weightless. You can run over a line of rope straddling a pit as easily and safely as you'd stride over a wide, solid bridge. You can catch a bee in flight with pincers, or make somersaults on a rocking ship's deck while holding a cup of wine without spilling a single drop.


«True Speaking»
{Light 1, Thunder 1}
You are conversing with another character or a group of characters. Stare diretly in their eyes, speak with absolute sincerity and conviction a truthful statement phrased as a single sentence, and expend 1d6 Dynama; your voice resonates with the very essence of Truth, it's fervent candor plain and evident in every word. It is impossible for anyone that hears those words to hold the false impression that you could be lying, though they do not necessarily believe you to be correct. Your statement does not need to be factually true, as long as you are honestly convinced of it's truthfulness in light of your knowledge.


«Veiled Words»
{Shadow 1}
You are exchanging words with someone in sight. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; the words you speak, no matter how loud, can only be heard by that character. This power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it and remain close to the other character. The character you are talking to may likewise conceal their replies against eavesdropping, even if they don't have any ability to use Dynama powers.


«Warding Shock»
{Thunder 1}
Someone else is handling your crystal sword, but you are still in possession of your golden sheath. Expend 1d6 Dynama; the person touching your sword suffers 1d6 damage. They also fail to hold on to the sword unless they expend a Hero Point.

[/spoiler]

General Powers

Most of the following powers are available to be learned at character creation or via training. Some powers are classified as forbidden powers and can only be learned under special circumstances.

[spoiler=General Powers]

«Absolute Perception»
{Light 3}
Expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 30 to maintain; your natural senses become sharpened to extraordinary acuity. You become aware of the positions of grains of sand under your feet, of the quiet footfalls of insects in the shrubbery, of the supple dance of falling leaves, of the subaqueous movements of fish in a pond. You automatically discover everything that can be found when conducting a search, and can successfully follow any fresh trail of tracks that hasn't been magically erased.


«All-Seeing Eyes»
{Light 2}
Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; your field of vision extends to all directions, allowing you to see ahead, behind, above, below and to your sides, all at once. It is impossible to sneak up on you without complete darkness or supernatural means. This power remains in effect as long as you maintain it. This power has no effect if you are blind or when your eyes are closed or blindfolded.


«Animal Form»
{Fire 2, Shadow 2}
Crouch down into a hunched position with one hand pressed to the ground and expend 3d6 Dynama; your body is engulfed in a flaming halo. You may now transform into any common animal no smaller than a chittie, no larger than a zeetha. The transformation disintegrates your body and possessions into a million sparkles that reassemble into an animal. While in this form you retain your human mind but can't use any powers or techniques. Your bodily abilities are those of a typical animal of it's kind. You may reverse the transformation at will; suffering pain or injury automatically reverses it unless you succeed at a resistance roll of Fire vs TN 15.


«Aura of Dread Majesty»
{Wind 1, Thunder 2}
You are making an entrance into the presense of other people. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; your figure becomes an awe-inspiring sight, to all eyes looming imposingly, like a tiger in the midst of housecats. Attention is drawn to your personage, breaths are held in anticipation of your every move. Lesser foes are reluctant to oppose you: anyone of lower power level than youself must roll Thunder vs TN 10 to be able to attempt any hostile action (including accusations, insults, intimidations and the like) against you. This power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it.


«Autumn Leaves Are Falling»
{Fire 3, Thunder 3, Wind 3}
During a raging battle you raise your triarma high, crossing the sword with the sheath above your head. Expend 4d6 Dynama; a luminous, spherical halo lights up in the point where your sword and sheath cross, and quickly expands to engulf the entire battlefield. Everything within this bubble is intensified in appearance -- colors become starker, the contrast of lights and darks stronger, odors deeper, while sounds boom and echo. All damage rolls are increased by +1d6 additional damage, and strikes that threaten a hit can only be avoided by expending hero points. This power remains in effect to the end of the battle.


«Baleful Seal»
{Shadow 2}
You press the palm of your hand on the forehead, neck or chest of another character. Expend 3d6 Dynama; you mark that character's skin with a circular eldritch glyph, about the size of a stamp and the same color as your hair. This magical seal cannot be removed by any means as long as you live. You are able to intuitively determine the direction toward the marked character, no matter where they are. You automatically detect that character's presense when they are nearby, regardless of conditions and despite any magical attepts of concealment. When the character is in sight, you may expend 1 Dynama to inflict terrible pain that automatically stuns them (resistable only by expending a hero point) and reduces their Morale by 1d6. If so desired, you may also inflict 1 point of damage per round. Baleful Seal can only be imprinted on a character who is either willing to receive it or defenseless. You may mark any number of characters in this manner. This is a forbidden power, not normally taught to paragons.


«Barrier Shell»
{Fire 2}
You extend an arm forward, the palm of your hand open and facing ahead. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; a magical barrier in the form of a spectral bubble of transparent golden sheen surrounds you, tangential to your outstretched hand. This barrier prevents movement between inside and outside of it, and completely blocks most mundane and magical attacks (from either direction), such as weapon strikes and harmful powers -- only extremely powerful effects such as Ultima and Coruscant Beam will breach it. Plasma orbs will be deflected. The barrier also repels environmental hazards such as poisonous gases, cave-ins, rockslides and molten lava.

The barrier is stationary, effectively immobilizing you as long as you continue to maintain it. You may use other powers only by expending hero points. If desired, you may create a larger barrier to also cover adjacent characters at the cost of +1d6 Dynama per each additional character included. You must have at least one hand free to activate and maintain this power.

Potent magical attacks such as triarma strikes and (deflected) plasma orb impacts will gradually weaken the barrier, eventually destroying it. Your barrier is certain to withstand for a number of rounds equal to your Power Level, but beyond that there is a 1/6 chance that it will shatter when absorbing a hit. You may delay it's destruction even further by expending 2d6 Dynama on a hit, before the check against the chance to shatter. Hitting a barrier with a strike is trivially easy, requiring no dice roll. Mundane attacks do not count unless they strike for at least 15 damage. Once your barrier has been destroyed you may not create another one for 5 rounds during the same battle.


«Bewitched Dance of Bone Puppets»
{Wind 2, Shadow 2}
You are holding a basket containing small ornate puppets fashioned from delicately carved bone, painted and dressed as tiny warriors bearing razor-sharp blades. Open the basket's lid and expend 2d6 Dynama, commit 20 to maintain; the puppets become animate and leap out of the basket, moving nimbly about in a beautiful dancelike manner. You can control their movements via intangible strings only visible on the side of the Pandemonium, requiring the use of one of your hands. You may animate and control a maximum number of bone puppets equal to your Power Level + Shadow.

The swarm of puppets can attack designated targets as a gracefully deadly whirlwind of cutting blades. Such attacks are resolved as normal melee exchanges, with the swarm striking for 1d6 damage per puppet, using your Mysticism skill for strike rolls and defense. The swarm cannot avoid threats, and each hit against it results in one bone puppet being rendered inanimate as it's invisible string is severed. Foes able to see the strings can hit them automatically. This power persists as long as you continue to maintain it and at least one puppet remains animated. Recalling the swarm back into the basket ends the power.


«Pacifying Seal»
{Thunder 1, Shadow 1}
You press the palm of your hand on the forehead, neck or chest of another character. Expend 1d6 Dynama; you mark that character's skin with an eldritch glyph in the shape of concentric triangles, about the size of a stamp and the same color as your eyes. This magical seal binds it's bearer to an irresistible condition of nonviolence toward you -- they cannot consciously take any hostile action against you or your allies, not even in self-defense. You may also force any character you've thusly marked to fall asleep for a while by tapping on the glyph.

A Pacifying Seal can only be imprinted on a character who is conscious and willing to receive it. Any paragon can erase the glyph by laying a hand over it and expending 1d6 Dynama, unless they are themselves under a Pacifying Seal. There are no other ways to remove a Pacifying Seal. You may mark any number of characters in this manner. You may mark multiple characters at the same time with a single use of this power at the cost of +1 Dynama per each additional character marked.

Pacifying Seals are typically used to manage surrendered enemies and criminals taken captive.


«Breath of Fire»
{Fire 2, Wind 2}
You draw a deep breath and exhale vigorously. Expend 2d6 Dynama; your exhalation is a roaring jet of fire, blazing as hot as an iron-smelting furnace. The flame won't harm you but will scorch most anything in it's way, and is likely to cause the environment to catch fire. If used in combat (melee exchanges only) it inflicts 1d6 damage per every rank of your Fire attribute. This attack can be avoided by expending a point of Stamina. You may not breathe fire again for three combat rounds during the same battle.


«Calming the Wind»
{Wind 3}
You are caught in a forceful gale. Raise one of your arms upright and commit 20 Dynama to maintain; a pocket of calm appears to contain you and your immediate surroundings, the high winds steering clear of you. This void in the storm persists as long as you maintain this power. Using this power against extremely strong winds (such as those of a hurricane) requires committing 40 Dynama and making a roll of your Wind vs TN 20.


«Cleansing Incalescence»
{Fire 1}
Infected by disease, you sit cross-legged and unmoving before a candle or some other stable source of fire, using it as a meditational focus. Expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; every consecutive hour you spend in this position purifies and strengthens you against the ravages of the malevolent spirits causing the disease. During this ritual you must endure a severe burning ailment, as if your body was boiling and smoldering -- for a number of hours equal to your power level you suffer no damage, but each hour beyond that limit reduces your Health by 1. At the end of the ritual you may make a resistance roll of Fire vs the TN of the disease, with a number of 4-sided bonus dice equal to the number of consecutive hours spent on the ritual. If the resistance roll succeeds, the sickness-inducing spirits are purged from your body and you recover completely after one day of rest. Even if the roll fails, the symptoms of the disease are eased (halved) and you are guaranteed to survive a number of days equal to the number of hours spent. The ritual always takes at least one hour to perform, and requires intense concentration throughout. You must maintain the power throughout the ritual. You may not move from your position, hold a conversation, or do anything that would shift your attention away from the flame you are focused on. If your focus is lost the ritual immediately ends.


«Compelling Voice»
{Thunder 2, Shadow 2}
You are speaking, directing your words to one or more people in your presense. Spread out your arms in a decorous gesture, expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 30 to maintain; your voice resounds with majestic cadence. The targets of your speech feel compelled to act in accordance with your words. Only people of equal of lower Power Level are affected. They may resist this effect by making opposed rolls of Thunder. Outrageous orders, such as to commit murder, sacrilege or treason, can be automatically resisted. Even if the targets obey your words, they may do so in a somewhat confused manner and ignore minute details. This power cannot affect people's opinions or memories, only their actions. Your voice remains magically compelling as long as you continue to maintain this power.


«Conduct Pain»
{Fire 1}
You rest your hand on a person or animal in throes of agony, pressing another hand on your forehead. Expend 1d6 Dynama; the pain is drawn out of the patient and onto yourself. Alternatively, you could conduct pain in the reverse direction. You need two hands to use this power.


«Conduct Sickness»
{Wind 2}
You stand facing a patient struck down by illness, clasping the palms of your hands together. Expend 1d6 Dynama; the malady-inflicting spirits possessing the sufferer are transfered onto you, migrating as a visible cloud of ethereal miasma. The patient is cured and recovers completely over a single day of rest. You now bear their illness and soon feel the full brunt of it's symptoms. At the expense of additional 3d6 Dynama you could conduct sickness in the opposite direction.


«Coruscant Beam»
{Fire 3, Light 3}
You close your eyes and grip your sheathed triarma. Forfeit all other actions and stand still for one round, and expend 5d6 Dynama; your crystal sword is infused with an immense charge of power, glowing blindingly bright once drawn. The supernatural light pulses, emitting a numinous shockwave in sync with your every heartbeat. You may now make a formidable ranged strike by shooting an effulgent beam out of the blade, in the direction it is pointed. Should it threaten a hit, this strike cannot be avoided by any means other than expending a Hero Point. The beam hits for 5d6 damage -- any creature killed by it is disintegrated.

If the beam isn't shot on the round immediately following the charge-up, the charge on the sword gradually weakens, reducing the damage output by 1d6 per round. If an ordinary strike is made with the sword before shooting, the stored power is released and the attack inflicts the beam's damage instead of normal strike damage (if better). You may opt to continue charging up the beam for more than one round, with each consecutive round costing 1d6 additional Dynama and increasing the beam's damage by 1d6, up to a maximum of 10d6.

A fully charged Coruscant Beam can cause extreme environmental damage, potentially cleaving through buildings and severing mountaintops. Clouds will part and rivers split in twain for a moment when hit by the beam.


«Crimson Pain»
{Fire 2, Shadow 1}
Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; a thin, barely noticeable haze of crimson smoke rises off your skin, dissipating quickly. Your body becomes painful to touch, inflicting shocking agony on anyone that lays a hand on you. It is impossible for anyone not immunized to pain to keep holding on to you, and every unarmed strike made against you results in the attacker losing 1 point of Morale.


«Emerald Gaze»
{Thunder 2}
You lock gazes with another character. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; your eyes begin to glow emerald-green. Your target may not close or avert their eyes voluntarily, nor move or avoid strikes or take any kind of action. This condition lasts as long as you continue to maintain your stare and refrain from performing any actions yourself. Your opponent may attempt to resist this power, which requires winning an opposed roll of Thunder vs Thunder. They may call for as many rerolls as they wish, at the cost of losing 1d6 Morale for every failed attempt. Expending a Hero Point allows them to automatically resist the power, unless you expend a Hero Point of your own to counter it. If anything obstructs the line of sight between the locked characters or otherwise makes it impossible to maintain eye contact, the staredown is broken. Otherwise this power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it. This power doesn't work against characters of a greater power level, nor against blind characters.


«Earth's Tranquil Embrace»
{Fire 1, Shadow 2}
You are sitting cross-legged on natural ground. Commit 20 Dynama to maintain; you sink into the soil or rock beneath you like you would into quicksand. Being thusly submerged prevents you from moving and breathing. You are aware of what happens on the ground above you, sensing the area as if you were still sitting on the surface. You may remain submerged until the next sunrise, at which point the spirits of the earth grow restless and force you to emerge. You may choose to emerge at any time prior that at will.


«Eidolon»
{Wind 1, Shadow 2}
You stand and hold your sheathed sword high. The golden scabbard's halo intensifies. Speak out the word "eidolon", expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; if you pass a Mysticism check vs your personal eidolon's summoning TN, the demon appears from a shadowy rift beside, behind or above you. The eidolon will vanish if it is defeated in combat or otherwise vanguished.


«Far-Reaching Echoes»
{Thunder 1}
You are within a conceptually defined area of moderate extent, such as a village or a city, an isle, a cavern, a cove or a necropolis. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; you may speak with a powerful echoing voice that carries clear and audible to everywhere within this area. Every word you utter will be affected as long as you maintain this power.


«Fearsome Tremors of the Earth-Gods»
{Thunder 3}
You stab your crystal sword into the ground and channel a surge of force through the blade, agitating the spirits of the earth. Expend 3d6 Dynama; a small but powerful earthquake erupts from the point of puncture, propagating either radially outward or in a general direction of your choosing. Landbound characters and monsters in the area must make a resistance roll of Wind vs TN 15 or suffer 4d6 damage -- anything burrowed into the earth is unable to resist and automatically suffers unavoidable damage. Houses and other buildings may be damaged, or even collapse if they are feeble. Trees shake violently and may fall. Subterranean spaces are likely to cave in. Carts and chariots topple and crash, and animals of most breeds will panic, tossing any riders off their backs, stampeding hither. If taking place on the slope of a hill or a mountain, the tremors may trigger a terrible landslide that sweeps everything in it's path. Instead of a sword stab this power may be activated by aiming a forceful fist-punch at the ground, at the expense of additional 2d6 Dynama. Paragons who walk the Path of the Turtle Warrior may instead opt for a mighty foot-stomp, without any additional cost.


«Fire Ward»
{Fire 2}
You are touching or moving through flames. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; the fire does not burn you or anything that you are carrying -- such as another person on your arms. This power persists as long as you continue to maintain it.


«Fist of Azure Flame»
{Fire 2}
You clench your dominant hand into a fist. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; a flaming ball of magical blue fire engulfs your fist. This fire sheds a small amount of light but is cool to the touch and cannot burn anything. You are now capable of striking a tremendeously strong punch, powerful enough to fell a pine tree or break a doorway-sized hole through a brick wall. Striking another character inflicts 4d6 damage and knocks them off their feet, throwing them several paces through the air by the force of the impact -- effectively ending a melee exchange. The azure fireball flickers out as soon as you hit something with a punch or unclench your fist. Otherwise it persists as long as you continue to maintain this power. You may double this power for additional 2d6 Dynama, in which case both your dominant hand and your off hand fists are engulfed in azure flames.


«Flicker»
{Shadow 3, Wind 3}
You are about to be struck by a weapon. Expend 4d6 Dynama; your body becomes momentarily insubstantial against that weapon, allowing it to pass harmlessly through. The part of your figure being overlapped flickers visibly. A powerful magical weapon such as a triarma or a plasma orb will still inflict 1d6 damage. You must be aware of the attack to use this power against it.


«Formidable Resilience»
{Fire 2, Thunder 2}
You stand tall and strike a clenched fist on your chest. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; your body becomes tremendously tough and robust, akin to a living fortress -- your bones like hardened steel, your skin like the thick hide of a rhinoceros. This effect protects you from injury at the cost of slowing you down slightly. You gain a damage reduction of -1d6 but suffer a -1d6 penalty to Initiative. The damage reduction applies even against powerful and magical attacks such as the strikes of a triarma. This power remains in effect as long as you maintain it.


«Glide»
{Wind 3}
You steer yourself in the direction of your choosing. Expend 3d6 Dynama; you take off and fly in a direct line at running speed. This flight can at most pass a distance across which a man-sized figure could be perceived by bare eyes. You cannot change your direction or speed during the flight, but you may end it at any point at will. Doing so will plummet you into a freefall, unless you immediately use this power again -- in a different direction if you so wish.


«Graceful Flight of the Dragonflies»
{Wind 2}
You jump and make a double-flip in the air. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 30 to maintain; during the flip your body and personal possessions transform into a swarm of hundreds of beautiful dragonflies. This power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it. When it ends the dragonflies coalesce and transform back to your natural form. As a swarm you cannot engage in combat or use any powers or techniques. If some of the dragonflies are killed then you may suffer damage upon regaining your true form.


«Luminous Thunderbolt»
{Thunder 2}
You extend your arm, the palm of your hand open and fingers pointed at a foe. Expend 2d6 Dynama; a broad luminous bolt of searing white energy shoots forth from your hand in a loud booming discharge. Striking unerringly, it inflicts 2d6 damage, stuns the foe for one round (Thunder check vs TN 10 or expend a Hero Point to resist) and knocks them off their feet, hurling them back several paces. This can be used to shove opponents off bridges and roofs, into pits, etc. but should they resist being stunned they may be able to grab a handhold. You need at least one hand free to use this power. If used with two hands spread apart, you may opt to create a wide fanning arc of energy bolts to strike all foes currently in forward footing.

When you are rearward, you may use Luminous Thunderbolt instead of evasion to try to prevent an attempted melee exchange by an enemy, shoving them away from you when they are closing in. Similarly you may use this power to try to protect an ally instead of using interception. Paragons may use the golden scabbards of their triarma to absorb incoming Luminous Thunderbolts, at the cost of 2d6 Dynama.


«Mantle of Resistance»
{Light 2, Shadow 2}
You are about to be hit by a harmful magical power, of which you are aware. Expend 2d6 Dynama; a light halo flashes on around you right before the magic hits you. If the power would inflict damage on you, you apply a damage reduction of a number of six-sided dice equal to your Power Level against it. If you need to make a resistance roll, you gain as many six-sided dice as bonus to that roll. The halo quickly fades out after it has resisted the harmful power.


«Memory in the Crystal»
{Light 3}
You are holding a crystal shard in the shape of a 4-faced pyramid and about the size of an egg on your hands. Expend 5d6 Dynama; you may record a message and store it into the crystal. This record will capture an illusionary image of yourself and the words you speak. The message will remain safely stored as long as the crystal is kept within a box or other suitable container that does not expose it to light. When the crystal is taken out, it will begin to flash with a magical glow and project it's contents in a spectral vista above it. The record will only be projected once, after which the light in the crystal dims. There is no limitation to the length of the message to be stored, other than it has to be recorded in one go without any breaks. Suitable crystal shards are rare, but can usually be obtained via an exchange of gifts during a citadel phase.


«Nebulous Mist Rises»
{Air 2}
Brandish your empty scabbard and expend 1d6 Dynama; a cloud of dense fog pours out of the hollow sheath, obscuring the area you're in. Under less than fully calm conditions in outdoors the mist will be swept away in 1d6 rounds, otherwise it may linger on for a long while. The cloud can serve as a screen concealing tactical maneuvers, as a place to hide or take cover in, or as a means to retreat safely from danger.


«Palm of Truce»
{Thunder 3}
You stand in place, sheathe your triarma and raise an arm upward, the palm of your hand open. Expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 30 to maintain; you radiate a magical pacifying force that inhibits violence within vicinity. Neither yourself nor anyone else may consciously take any hostile action against another within this area. The pacifying effect persists as long as you continue to stand in place, hand raised, and continue to maintain this power.

Characters of higher Power Level may resist this effect at will. Those of equal Power Level may resist by making a Thunder check vs TN 20, or by expending a Hero Point. Anyone that becomes a subject to hostile action by another may resist at will, regardless of Power Level. However, anyone that does engage in hostile action within the area loses 1d6 Morale.


«Pellucid Gaze»
{Light 3}
Expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; broadening beams of magical light project out from your eyes, illuminating spaces you are looking at. The beams pierce through illusions and other kinds of supernatural deception, revealing magically concealed things and showing all things in their true forms. The beams will persist as long as you maintain this power.


«Poison Blood»
{Fire 1}
Commit 10 Dynama to maintain; you body is permeated with deadly poison, harmless to yourself but fatal to others. Anything that consumes your flesh or blood will be poisoned and perish unless it can pass a resistance roll of Fire vs TN 15. The poison can also be transmitted sexually. You will cease being poisonous when you voluntarily stop maintaining this power, but if you are eg. killed or rendered unconscious while the power is active then your body will remain poisonous. Even if the recipient resists the poison they will be violently ill for a day, their maximum scores of Morale and Stamina reduced by 10.


«Premonitions»
{Light 2}
Clear your mind and concentrate, commit 10 Dynama to maintain; you sense subtle disturbances whenever momentous threats manifest in the world. The menaces to which you are sensitive include those that are either so vast and extensive as to concern or influence your life, or connected to you in a personal or magically sympathetic manner. Potentially world-shaking events and those in the scale and scope of your home realm or which ever kingdom you currently reside in should always be sensed -- as should perils befalling your friends and family, people close to your heart and those whose destinies are intimately interwoven with yours.

You may try and focus on the premonition before it fades away by sitting down and closing your eyes. Expend 2d6 Dynama and roll an Intuition check vs TN 15; if you succeed you will experience a psychic vision of the peril as it is unfolding. The vision is distorted and may not show every small detail, but is clear enough to make out the situation. If it involves one or more people you are familiar with, you can definitely recognize them.


«Rage of the Red Devil»
{Fire 2}
In the heat of battle, you make a three-fingered gesture at another combatant in your presense. Expend 3d6 Dynama and make an opposed roll of Fire vs the opponent's Wind; if you win, the targeted character's skin turns a dark red color, their face contorts to a dead-eyed grimace of fury, their body twists into a hunched, jagged figure, and their mind is overwhelmed by uncontrollable rage. The affected character gains a +1d6 bonus on all strike rolls and damage rolls, but is incapable of taking any other action than closing in on the nearest perceived enemy and striking them in melee, using whatever suitable weapon (if any) they have at hand. The character cannot speak, only scream, growl and snarl animalistically, and is unable to use powers and techniques. The effect persists to the end of the battle. This power cannot affect beings of superior Power Level. Expending a Hero Point automatically resists this power, and can also be used to nullify it after it has already taken effect. The same character cannot be affected by this power more than once during a battle.


«Saffron Stealer of Breaths»
{Wind 3}
Expend 3d6 Dynama; you exhale a noxious cloud of saffron-yellow gas. The air in the area becomes nearly unbreathable for everyone other than yourself. Those who fail to hold their breaths end up hacking and coughing, doubling their cost for any and all Stamina expenditures. The gas is blown away quickly (in 1d6 rounds) in outdoors areas when the weather is windy, otherwise it lingers on for a long time.


«Soaring Airblades»
{Wind 2}
You slash at air with an open, empty hand. Expend 2d6 Dynama; a number of crescent-shaped throwing blades equal to your Wind appear on your hand. These razor-sharp blades, each the size of a maple leaf, are fashioned from condensed air and must be thrown immediately or they will disappear -- they can only exist while airborne and in motion. You can throw all the blades as a single action, but each of them must be aimed at a different target. They fly spinning swiftly through the air, and strike unerringly for 1d6 damage. An airblade can only be avoided by expending a point of Stamina, but damage reduction from armour applies normally. In combat you may use this power on your own turn only.


«Soul Tracer»
{Light 2, Shadow 2}
You are tracking the movements of a character to whom you hold a potent connection, either in the form of a personal relationship, intertwined destinies, or a sympathetic link such as a lock of hair or a memento. Expend 3d6 Dynama and commit 30 to maintain; you can now sense the psychic trail left behind by this character and may follow it unerringly, as if you were following physical tracks. Conditions such as weather and terrain do not impede your ability to stay on the trail, and neither do normal attempts to conceal tracks. This power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it.


«Still the Shadow»
{Shadow 3}
You thrust your crystal sword through the shadow cast by a character. Expend 2d6 Dynama; the character in question is held in place, their shadow transfixed against the surface it is cast upon. They will be freed when your sword is pulled off. They may also escape from this hold by expending a Hero Point. Lighting conditions have no effect on the shadow as long as it is being pinned by this power.


«Summon Demon»
{Shadow 3}
Standing before a drawn or scratched summoning circle*, you kneel down leaning on your sheathed sword and implore upon a denizen of the Pandemonium to answer your call. Expend 3d6 Dynama, commit 30 to maintain, and roll a Mysticism check; if you succeed, a demon is summoned to your presense, materializing in front of you. The TN of the skill check is 15 for a Power Level 1 demon -- the TN is increased by 5 and an additional Dynama cost of 1d6 incurs for each Power Level upwards.

The demon summoned by this power is mildly sympathetic toward you but isn't under your control. If can remain manifested in the phenomenal world as long as it's avatar isn't destroyed and you continue to maintain this power.

(*) You can automatically create an adequate summoning circle provided you have at least one rank in the Mysticism skill.


«Telekinesis»
{Wind 2, Thunder 2}
You focus your attention on a nearby object. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 20; you may touch and manipulate this object from a distance, much the same way you would by grabbing and moving it with your bare hands. Doing this requires either one or both hands free (according to the manner of manipulation) and the moving of your hands almost as if the thing you are touching was actually in your grasp. For example, pulling a door open from a distance requires a handle-pulling motion of a hand, and lifting a cup of wine off a table requires a grabbing and lifting motion.

You can feel the shape and hardness of the things you touch via telekinesis, but receive no sensations of pain, moisture, hotness or coldness. Your ability to manipulate things in this way is less precise than actually using your hands; while it is possible to move an almost-full cup without spilling, doing so reliably requires a great deal of concentration and painstakingly slow movements. Writing intelligible hieroglyphics is too difficult at any symbol size smaller than your head's diameter. Striking with a remotely held weapon is possible, but confers a -2d6 penalty to both the strike roll and the damage roll.

You may move and/or break any object that you normally could easily handle at your natural strength. To affect heavier, more durable or securely fixed things requires expending additional 1d6 to 3d6 Dynama per attempt, depending on the object in question. Tossing or scraping several light objects with a single, rough sweeping motion costs additional 2d6 Dynama per attempt.

This power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it.


«Telepathy»
{Light 2, Shadow 2}
Concentrate your mind and commit 10 Dynama to maintain; you can sense strong emotions felt by people in your presense. When you focus on a specific person in your presense you cease to sense everyone else's emotions, but are able to read even faint feelings of the focused character. This power remains in effect as long as you continue to maintain it. You must be able to see the people in order to sense their emotions.

You may initiate a telepathic conversation with a character you are focused on, at the cost of additional 1d6 Dynama expended. In this way thoughts can be transmitted between the two of you, as long as you can see each other. The other character does not need to possess the power of Telepathy. Either of you may end the conversation at will. Ending the mental conversation does not terminate this power.


«Teleport»
{Thunder 4}
You sheath your triarma and raise it upward over your head. Expend 5d6 Dynama; a surge of energy surrounds your body and emits a bolt of lightning that shoots up to the sky. You may teleport to any grounded location within sight (near enough for a man-sized figure to be spotted by naked eye) by riding up the lightning, then down another bolt that falls from the sky at your destination. You do not suffer any damage from the lightning. If you teleport next to another character, you may immediately make an unchainable strike against them at -1d6 damage using your sheathed triarma. This power can only be used outdoors under an open sky; weather conditions do not matter.


«Titanic Grip»
{Fire 2}
You are holding on to a solid object or structure with one or both hands. Commit 10 Dynama to maintain; your grip on said thing becomes unbreakable. When applied to a weapon, it cannot be disarmed short of by cutting off your arms. This effect lasts as long as you maintain your grip and this power.


«Titanic Grounding»
{Fire 3}
You stand firmly with both feet on the ground. Commit 10 Dynama to maintain; you become virtually immovable. Your body will be broken and torn apart far sooner than your feet lifted off where they rest. This power lasts as long as you continue to stand still and maintain it. During this time you are unable to avoid strikes that threaten to hit you.


«Titanic Might»
{Fire 2}
Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; you can perform amazing feats of strength -- such as pulling a sailing ship on to a beach, lifting a 10-ft tall stone idol above your head, holding up the roof of a collapsing building, pushing a massive boulder out of the way, or deforming a cauldron of bronze with your bare hands.


«Touch of Revelation»
{Light 2}
You press the palm of your hand on a door or a wall. Expend 2d6 Dynama; a large circular section of the surface you're touching turns transparent, revealing what lies behind it. The transparency is one-directional, such that the structure looks normal when viewed from the opposite side, unless you intentionally make the circle fade in both ways. The effect persists as long as you continue to touch the surface.


«Ultima»
{Light 3, Thunder 3}  
You spread your arms wide and a cluster of luminescent rays bursts outward from your core like the spokes of a chariot's wheel. Expend 5d6 Dynama; a sphere of pure white light engulfs you, glowing brighter than a thousand suns. You die instantly, disintegrated by the glowing orb. Even your triarma is completely destroyed. The sphere pulses and expands, shooting out more and more rays and emitting an ear-splitting howling noise. It then suddenly explodes in a devastating blast wave that annihilates everything nearby, violently shaking the earth and leaving a large charred crater. All characters within the area suffer 7d6 damage that cannot be resisted or avoided by any means -- those who somehow survive are thrown like pebbles by the force of the explosion. If Ultima is used inside a building, that building will certainly collapse -- unless it is a powerful magical creation, such as the citadels made by the Empyreans.


«Void Breath»
{Wind 2}
You are holding your breath. Expend 1d6 Dynama and commit 20 to maintain; you may continue to hold your breath for a number of hours equal to your Power Level. You may not run, climb, jump, engage in combat or expend Stamina whilst this power is in effect. This power persists as long as you continue to maintain it, but automatically ceases when it's maximum duration is over.


«Way of the Fire»
{Fire 2}
You are facing a live fire and reaching out toward it with your arms. Expend 2d6 Dynama and commit 10 to maintain; you may control this fire by making symbolic hand gestures:
* Closing your hands into fists quells the flames.
* Fanning your palms open with the fingers spread out invigorates the fire.
* Making a calling gesture (palms facing yourself) draws the fire closer to you.
* Making a repulsing gesture (palms facing forward) pushes the blaze away from you.
* Pointing with your fingers (arms and hands extended straight) moves the fire in the direction pointed at.
Your control over the fire persists as long as you continue to maintain this power, the fire lives and you continue to focus on it. If the fire is very large or unusually hot, using this power costs an additional 1d6 Dynama.


«Words of Terror»
{Thunder 2}  
You utter an eldritch word unpronuncible by ordinary tongues, resonating like the boom of a thunderclap. Expend 2d6 Dynama and direct your word to a selected character within earshot; that character must make a resistance roll of Thunder vs TN 10 or become mortally afraid of you, fleeing or cowering when you draw near. Even if the target passes the check, they lose 1d6 Morale. Deaf characters are not affected by this power. You may target more characters by speaking more than one word -- each additional word spoken allows one additional target at the cost of 1d6 Dynama. Targeted characters below 10 Morale are automatically struck by the fear. The effect wears off after a while, though never during a battle or other kind of distressing scene. It can be negated by expending a Hero Point.

[/spoiler]

[ooc]
I tweaked the rule regarding powers' force attribute requirements. A paragon can now learn powers with requirements he doesn't meet, and may expend Hero Points to temporarily increase his force attributes to be able to activate such powers.
[/ooc]

TECHNIQUES

Techniques enable paragons to perform mundane and magical actions in specific ways. A paragon can only make use of a limited number of techniques -- those which he has learned. The names of techniques are enclosed within square brackets ［］ to distinguish them from powers.

Some techniques extend the use of Dynama powers. Such techniques can only be executed when the power in question is active. These requirements are listed in curly brackets {} before the techniques's description.

Non-paragons can potentially learn any technique that does not rely on Dynama powers or triarma, but few people ever find the opportunity to do so.


Core Techniques

The following set of techniques is taught to every paragon, regardless of path. All paragon characters possess knowledge of these techniques.


［Arrow-Cleaving Cut］
You swing your crystal sword at sonic speed to cut an arrow in flight. You may use this technique instead of avoidance when an archer's shot against you counts as a threat. Using this technique does not cost any Stamina, but it also forfeits your opportunity to avoid the shot. There is a 1/6 chance that the cut misses the arrow. You may, however, expend a Hero Point to automatically succeed at cleaving the arrow.


［Blade Brake］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
When being thrown, pushed or pulled along the ground, cliffside or a wall, you may slow down and stop your movement by stabbing your crystal sword into the surface. Depending on the strength of the force shoving you, you may skid for a length before coming to a halt, your blade cutting a long furrow into the mass. This technique can be used to break a fall down a steep slope or into a well, etc. as well as resisting the knocking effect of the «Luminous Thunderbolt» power and similar things.


［Delayed Wound Strike］
You deliver a single high-precision cut during a melee exchange, acutely grazing your foe with your crystal sword. Damage is rolled normally, but is not applied immediately -- having seemingly inflicted no more than a mere scratch. The actual wound caused by this cut manifests after the exchange at the moment of your choosing, up to beyond the end of the battle but during the same scene. You have control over the amount of damage inflicted, choosing any amount between the number of dice rolled and the sum of their results.


［Dragonfly Emerges From Cocoon］
You have been bound with ropes, trapped in entangling web, or encased in a mass of solidifying fluid. If you have any bladed weapon or tool at hand, you may burst free of this containment via a single, nearly instantaneous cutting slash that completely shreds your bindings and blows the pieces in all directions. You are able to execute this cut despite your hands being restrained.


［Eclipse Pain］
You are in throes of agony. Focus your mind; you may suppress all pain for a number of hours equal to your Fire. While doing so you do not feel any pain or suffer any effects caused by it such as Morale loss, but your maximum Stamina score is temporarily reduced by 1. After suppressing pain in this manner you must rest for an equal length of time or longer before you may use this technique again.


［Leap of the Clouds］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
You leap from a solid platform. Expend 1 Stamina; you take off in a high arc, propulsed upward and onward by an invisible force, flipping a full 360 degrees at the apex of the leap (forward flip when jumping forward or straight up, backflip when jumping backward, and side-flip when jumping sideways). You may vault over a wide chasm or a tall obstacle. Upon landing you may opt to carry on immediately to another ［Leap of the Clouds］ at no cost -- this applies to all successive leaps. This technique cannot be properly employed indoors or other kinds of environments that restrict vertical movement -- it is feasible in forests, however.


［Mantis Captures The Fly］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
An arrow or a throwing knife is speeding toward you. Using «Transcendent Motion» you catch it off the air just before it hits you, seizing it between the index and middle fingers of your hand. Using this technique requires at least one hand free; you may not use the same hand to capture more than one projectile during an exchange.


［Spirited Ascent］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
You can sprint up a vertical wall, a sheer cliff or the side of tree trunk, to a height up to a number of storeys equal to your Fire. You can also jump up against a wall and then jump off it at an upward angle, gaining a storey's worth of height at each jump at the cost of 1 stamina.


［Three-Point Landing］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
When falling down from great heights, you can make a safe and soft landing on two legs and one arm. This technique completely negates falling damage as long as it totals no more than half of your maximum health score -- otherwise no damage is negated at all. Performing a ［Three-Point Landing］ requires at least one hand and both legs being uninjured and free.





General Techniques

Most of the following techniques are available to be learned at character creation or via training. Some techniques are classified as forbidden techniques and can only be learned under special circumstances.

[spoiler=General Techniques]

［Arrow Deflection］
{«Telekinesis»}
You are caught in a shower of arrows. Turning to face this deadly rain head-on, use «Telekinesis» and make a sweeping motion with an empty hand or with your golden scabbard. You deflect the missiles mid-air, turning them aside.


［Danger Sense］
{«Absolute Perception»}
As long as you are conscious, you can use «Absolute Perception» to become automatically aware of stealth attacks against you right before they happen. You can react to these attacks as if they were normal attacks. You are also able to instinctually pinpoint the location of a hidden sniper after they've made an attack against you or against any other character nearby.


［Dead Wind Touch］
You dash behind another character and rapidly tap three critical points located on their upper back with the fingers of your hand. Make an opposed roll of Wind vs Wind; if you win you've successfully halted the flow of Dynama through that character's body. The affected character becomes lethargic, sitting feebly in place with a blank expression and glazed eyes. They remain conscious and can speak slowly, but their mind is clouded and their speech slurred. They can't move or use any Dynama powers. This condition persists for a number of days equal to your Power Level, but can be removed by any paragon by tapping the victim's head, shoulder or back with the palm of one's hand.

The ［Dead Wind Touch］ technique doesn't work against beings of superior Power Level. Using it in combat (or against any wary target) requires a hit with a hand-to-hand strike (unchainable), but that isn't necessary against an unsuspecting target. This technique can be automatically resisted by expending Hero Points, though you may negate that by expending as many Hero Points of your own.


［Diaphanous Slumber］
You are laying down to sleep. Focus your mind; you repose with your eyes open, partially aware and capable of awakening instantly to a state of full alertness. Doing so temporarily reduces your maximum Stamina score by 1 and incurs a mild headache, which persist until you fall asleep again.


［Falling Star Strike］
You fall down at a foe from above, descending upon the opponent with your crystal sword pointed downward, stabbing them with a powerful thrust as you land. A melee exchange between you and your opponent is initiated -- you get to act first by default. The only action you are allowed to make is a strike with your crystal sword, with an extra die on both the strike roll and the damage roll. You may use this technique when dropping down at an unsuspecting foe from an ambush at an elevated position, such as a balcony, a rooftop or a tree branch. In regular combat you may use this technique when jumping at a foe with a ［Leap of the Clouds］.


［Four Winds Strike］
You execute a rapid sequence of triarma strikes that invoke the mystic power of the Four Winds: circling around an opponent like a tornado, you strike first from the East, next from the South, then from the West, and finally from the North. You must expend 1 Stamina per each strike, including the first one. This constitutes your actions for a melee exchange.

This sequence of strikes can be continued to completion regardless of strikes rolls missing or being avoided; the opponent can only interrupt it by expending a Hero Point. The strikes are unchainable. If all four strikes threaten and are avoided, the opponent loses 1 Stamina in addition to Stamina expended on avoidance. If at least one of the strikes hits, the opponent suffers additional 1d6 damage that cannot be reduced by Damage Reduction.

You must have at least 10 Stamina and at least 10 Morale to execute the ［Four Winds Strike］ technique.


［Hidden Intent］
You are declaring a Killing Intent. Roll your Shadow vs TN 10; if you succeed, your Murderous Aura is concealed and cannot be sensed or detected without the use of powers or techniques that specifically allow it.


［Oblivion Cut］
With a single, perfect slash of your crystal blade you may shear through the very essence of the universe itself, rending an ether-bleeding cosmic wound that opens into the detestable nothingness of un-existence beyond. To mortal senses this wound appears as a circular "hole" in space that cannot be truly described or comprehended, for it is a veritable paradox -- to look directly at it could break your mind.

Executing an ［Oblivion Cut］ costs 1 Stamina and requires a successful roll of Shadow vs TN 15. All characters in the presense of the cosmic wound lose 1d6 Morale. Anything and everything in the area that possesses form and meaning is drawn toward this aperture, to fall through it and be thereby erased from existence. Resisting it's annihilating pull requires passing a Light roll vs TN 15 (all beings of Power Level 0 are automatically sucked in, unless protected by some external force.)

［Oblivion Cut］ is a forbidden technique, not normally taught to paragons. You must wait until the next sunset before you can use this technique again.


［Ominous Presense］
You are declaring a Killing Intent. Roll your Thunder vs TN 10; if you succeed, your Murderous Aura becomes intensified, so much that everyone present automatically senses it. Foes of lower Power Level lose 1 point of Morale, unless they are already affected by another Murderous Aura. They may resist this effect by spending a Hero Point. You cannot hide your presense when using this technique -- you may still employ Stealth, but anyone actively searching for you will automatically find you.


［Phase Stride］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
At the cost of 1d6 Dynama you may cross a distance of up to dozens of paces by taking a single step, moving too quickly for an eye to see. You can only ［Phase Stride］ across a clear, nearly straight path. Using this technique you can close in on a foe, suddenly appearing beside or behind them. If your Power Level is equal or superior you may execute a single impossibly swift triarma strike during the move; a threat from this strike can only be avoided by expending a Hero Point. If your opponent is also capable of using ［Phase Stride］ then they may use it to automatically evade your attempt to close in, or alternatively to try and use it against you. When two ［Phase Stride］ using characters try to outphase each other in this way, they must roll an opposed Wind vs Wind check -- a winner has outphased their opponent and may strike, while in case of a tie neither character is outphased but both may strike. This technique can be used to intercept opponents.


［Phoenix Strike］
Calling upon the majestic spirit of the Phoenix bird, you raise your crystal blade high and bring in down upon a foe in a vertical cut. Expend 1 Stamina; your opponent can only use avoidance by declaring it before your strike roll, at double Stamina cost paid up front. A Phoenix Strike can only be executed under the light of the Sun, and it cannot be chained.


［Possession］
{«Telepathy»}
When using the «Telepathy» power to focus on another character in your presense, you may attempt to possess them at the cost of additional 2d6 Dynama expended and additional 20 committed. The targeted character may resist by winning an opposed roll of Thunder vs Thunder. They may re-roll as many times as they want, but lose 1d6 Morale per each re-roll attempt. Alternatively, they may expend a Hero Point to automatically resist all possession attempts during the current scene. Characters of greater Power Level cannot be possessed unless they are willing.

If your attempt succeeds you will sense everything the possessed character sees, hears and feels, in addition to your own senses. You may also control their actions if desired, although you may not take any actions of your own while doing so. You must be able to see the targeted character when attempting a possession, but need not maintain visual contact afterward. If the possessed character is of lower Power Level, you may continue to possess them as long as you maintain this power. Otherwise you may continue to possess them up to a number of rounds equal to your Thunder score. You may end the possession at will. Ending the possession does not terminate «Telepathy», but frees the additional committed Dynama.

While possessing a character, you lose Morale whenever that character is struck in combat. If the possessed character is violently incapacitated or killed, you suffer a loss of 1d6 Morale.


［Rapid Cascade Assault］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
You fall upon an enemy, relentlessly pressing the assault as a hurricane of lightning-fast strikes. You are moving so quickly that you are leaving a trail of afterimages, and these afterimages become animate and proceed to swarm the foe, furiously battering him from all directions before fading away. You may execute this technique, at the cost of 1d6 Stamina, when your 12-sided die explodes on your first melee strike roll during an exchange. You automatically continue to chain your strikes up to a total of five, regardless of any of their rolls failing to threaten. You must expend Stamina for each chained strike, as per normal rules. Additional attacks by the phantasmal afterimages inflict a total of 1d6 unavoidable damage on the opponent, subject to Damage Reduction.


［Reaping Cut of the Death-Gods］
Wielding a bladed weapon, you may make an unavoidable melee strike against an opponent. This strike cannot be chained, and executing it completely drains your Stamina, leaving you winded and decidedly vulnerable. You must have at least 10 Stamina and at least 10 Morale to execute the ［Reaping Cut of the Death-Gods］. This is an highly dangerous technique, generally only used in desperate situations.


［Remote Disarm］
{«Telekinesis»}
You can use «Telekinesis» to disarm enemies from across a distance, pulling their weapons off their hands with invisible force. Those of higher Power Level than yourself cannot be disarmed by this technique. Others may retain their weapons at the cost of one point of Stamina -- paragons have the option to expend 1d6 Dynama instead.

When you have successfully disarmed an opponent, you are holding on to their weapon telekinetically. At that point you may pull the weapon to your hands, throw it away, drop it on a specific place, or use it to fight. Each attempt of remote disarming costs 1d6 Dynama. You may attempt to disarm multiple foes simultaneously, up to a number equal to your Power Level + Wind; you must expend 1d6 Dynama for each target and all weapons seized in this manner have to be immediately thrown away.

You may employ the ［Remote Disarm］ technique in reaction to another character's action of drawing a weapon, making an immediate disarming attempt against that character. This is easier than trying to disarm a fully drawn and readied weapon; the opponent must pass a resistance roll of Fire vs TN10 in addition to the Stamina cost to retain their weapon. They may expend a Hero Point to automatically pass this roll.

If more than one character attempts to remotely disarm the same weapon at the same time, only the first (fastest initiative) attempt may succeed -- the others automatically fail.


［Remote Grip］
{«Telekinesis»}
You grapple an opponent via «Telekinesis», exerting a firm grip. You may forcefully hold the character in place, preventing them from changing their footing, intercepting attacks, or using other kinds of maneuvers. You may also push them away from you, pull them over to you, or shove them at another character or into some specific place within close range. The opponent may struggle free of your ［Remote Grip］ by making a resistance roll of Fire vs TN 10, or by expending a Hero Point. This technique only works against human-sized or smaller characters of no Power Level greater than your own. This technique is normally used with both hands; it is possible to use it one-handedly at the cost of 1 Stamina per every round the grip is maintained. If each hand is used to grapple a different character, the Stamina cost is likewise doubled.


［Remote Wield］
{«Telekinesis»}
You can strike with a telekinetically held weapon without penalties.


［Serenity Within Calamity］
Even amidst the most distressing and most chaotic of circumstances your disciplined mind remains perfectly calm, like the eye of a storm. You may reroll any failed resistance roll against fear- or rage-inducing powers such as «Words of Terror» and «Rage of the Red Devil» and similar magical effects, and any effect that would reduce your Morale by more than 1 instead reduces it only by 1.


［Spinning Aerial Strike］
{«Transcendent Motion»}
You are jumping or flying over an enemy, passing close above them. You may make a spinning fly-by attack by flipping in the air and cutting with your crystal blade at the foe beneath you. This attack is resolved as a special exchange where each combatant is restricted to a single unchainable melee strike, and they both act simultaneously.


［Velocious Charge of Flying Kicks］
{«Glide»}
You propel yourself in an airborne charge at an opponent by using the «Glide» power to fly low near the ground, attacking in a flurry of consecutive kicks. The foe is driven back by the force of these strikes, constantly knocked away as you keep on charging forward. You are able to chain foot strikes regardless of your strike rolls threatening, and must chain for at least four kicks.


［Way of the Flying Sword］
{«Telekinesis»}
You may make ranged triarma strikes without penalty by throwing your crystal sword. These strikes cannot be chained. You may throw the blade either point-first or spinning. The former style of throwing strikes a single target and the blade is driven into any object or place it hits; this can be used advantageously with the «Still the Shadow» power. The latter style of throwing can strike up to a number of different targets equal to your wind; an exchange is triggered for each targeted combatant. You can control the flight of your sword and make it return to your hand at the end of the attack.


［Wind Slash］
You may make an unchainable melee strike with your crystal sword, against an opponent who is not in melee range. Expend 1 Stamina and swing the blade downward in a powerful vertical cut; the very air between you and your target is burst asunder in a visible stream, sounding out a sharp whoosh. The force of the strike is transferred across the distance, and while it cannot be parried it can be dodged. A ［Wind Slash］ can only be executed with a charged crystal sword. It can be used to blow a clear path through a cloud of smoke or fog, temporarily parting it for at last one round of actions.

[/spoiler]

TRAITS
Traits represent a variety of aspects that can add depth and flavor to a character. A number of traits can be freely selected at character creation. While there are few hard rules limiting the selection of starting traits, the game master has the right to review and forbid any combinations deemed unreasonable. Besides being selected at character creation, some traits can be gained and even lost during play due to events that happen in-game -- they are just like items and equipment in that sense, adrift at the mercy of the character's waning and waxing fortunes. Many traits, however, are permanent.


Androgynous: Your gender is difficult to tell at a glance. With a moderate effort at disguise and acting, you could convincingly pass as either gender.

Ascetic: You practice disciplined asceticism, eschewing material luxuries to strengthen your inner spirit. Your maximum Purity score is increased by one. You have no resource points to spend on starting assets, and may not gain any material goods during play to keep this trait.

Battle-Scarred: You bear savage scars, difficult to conceal and obviously gained in battle. These disfigurements testify your first-hand experience of violent struggle and give you the look of a hardened warrior, though they also blemish your appearance.

Blind: You lack the gift of vision. As a paragon your supernatural senses compensate somewhat for this disability, allowing you to feel the shapes of large tangible objects to a fair distance, but you remain unable to perceive small details, texture and colours. As a result you are also effectively illiterate.

Destiny: Your place and purpose in the course of history involves a specific destiny. The invisible hand of fate subtly steers you toward this destiny, though it remains to be seen whether it'll come to pass or not. Your destiny, be it good or ill, might be revealed via divination or prophecy, or it might be unknown to you.

Great Name: You proudly carry the name of a glorious ancestor of yours, a hero of old whose popular renown has persisted to this day. This esteemed name commands a measure of respect, awe and interest, but it also places a heavy burden upon you. Everything you say and do will be judged against the standard set by your ancestor. While you are not expected to rise to equal heights of glory, any misdeeds you commit will cast shame upon the name, disgracing you as an unworthy descendant.

Formidable Foe: A powerful character has become your sworn enemy -- someone who is willing to take risks and sacrifice much to see you ruined. It is likely that your paths are destined to cross, perhaps many times, and these encounters may place you in mortal danger. Should you manage to either befriend or decisively defeat this foe, this trait would be eliminated and your maximum Face score would be permanently increased by one.

Inconspicuous: You are vapidly plain in appearance and bearing. People are generally uninterested in you, liable to ignore and forget about your presense. For good or ill, you are easily lost in a crowd of more interesting people. This trait cannot be selected together with Stunning Beauty or Unsightly.

Killer: You have taken the life of another person, irrevocably staining your hands in their blood. Although the deed may have been necessary or even against your free will or knowledge, you are forever after tainted by it. Your maximum Purity score is permanently reduced by 3. You are no longer qualified to perform certain religious ceremonies, and some forms of magic may be more potent against you.

Oathbreaker: You've failed to keep an oath, willingly or otherwise. Your maximum Purity score is permanently reduced by 3. If the matter is publically known, your maximum Face score is also reduced by 3.

Petite: You are small and delicate. You are able to fit through tight spaces that normally-sized people would get stuck in, but find it more difficult to reach for handholds when climbing or for items on high shelves. Being petite is generally regarded as an attractive trait in women, while petite men are usually regarded as unflatteringly effete. This trait cannot be selected together with Tall.

Regret: A severe regret weighs on your soul, at times disturbing your dreams. If the matter is not resolved your spirit will be unable to pass away after death, becoming a restless ghost.

Rival: A passionate rivalry flames between you and another character. This conflict could revolve around the pursuit of a love interest, demonstrating your superiority at a particular skill, honoring a longstanding family feud, or any of myriad other concerns. The original cause of the rivalry might even be forgotten. This character may show up from time to time to taunt you and cause trouble. If you wish to, you may choose to one-sidedly drop the rivalry at any point (thereby eliminating this trait), but the humiliation of doing so causes a loss of 1d6 Face once word gets around.

Secret Technique: You have been bestowed an immense honor in the form of a special technique not taught as part of normal paragon training. This technique could be passed down in your family, learned from a great master of the art, or granted as a reward for your heroic deeds. Whatever the case, it is manifest that you are regarded as one who is truly worthy and dependable. You are sworn to only ever use the technique responsibly and in honorable manner -- this counts as an Oath, with normal consequences for breaking it.

Sinister: You are left-handed. Prevalent superstition regards left-handedness as a sign of a morally flawed, untrustworthy character. You are treated with a modicum of prejudice, and your maximum Face score is permanently reduced by 2. Human foes are unused to fighting against a left-handed opponent; their initiative is considered to be lower by one against you for the purpose of determining who acts first during a melee exchange. This only applies on the first ever melee exchange against each character.

Soul-Bonded: You share a deep, mystical bond with another person -- a case of two souls that are not entirely separate. When either character is in peril, the other is able to sense it. Should one of them fall to the Scourge, the other will also become infected.

Stunning Beauty: You are outstandingly beautiful, capturing the attention of the crowds where ever you go. Your comely appearance makes you a target of admiration and envy alike. You frequently attract the amorous advances of would-be suitors, welcome or not. This trait cannot be selected together with Unsightly or Inconspicuous.

Tall: You stand tall, towering above your peers. You find it difficult to fit through tight spaces, but easier to reach for handholds and items that normally-sized people would find difficult to grab. Being tall is generally regarded as an attractive trait in men, while tall women are usually viewed as unflatteringly butch. This trait cannot be selected together with Petite.

Unsightly: You are exceptionally unpleasant to look at. Some people avert their eyes and politely pretend that you don't exist, others openly scorn you or take pity on you. Your repulsive appearance brings you plenty of solitude. This trait cannot be selected together with Stunning Beauty or Inconspicuous.

[ooc]
Skill list has been tweaked a bit: Missile skill has moved from Wind to Thunder and Ritual skill from Shadow to Wind. Now every force attribute has exactly 4 skills under it.
[/ooc]

I'm curious about the way you envision Traits working in-game. Does the DM "offer" a player a certain Trait which they can then adopt or refuse? Or can DMs impose Traits on players as a result of events occurring?

Like, for example, if my character murders someone, do I get to choose to adopt the Killer Trait to reflect a change in mindset, or does the Trait metaphysically adhere to my character's soul and just get imposed on them?

I sort of prefer the second option, I'm just curious how you'd see things working.

Traits are supposed to come and/or go as consequence of what happens in game. This does mean that the game master could impose it, in much the same manner as one might impose the gaining and losing of items. Of course, that also means that there's as much (if not more so) of a burden on the GM to be cautious and fair about this as there is with items. Players should at least be allowed to make informed decisions (even if they don't necessarily have ALL the information) about PC actions that could put them at risk.

Regarding the' Killer' trait specifically, that one doesn't reflect a character's mindset but rather the deeds they've done. It's metaphysically having blood on your hands, a stain that can't be washed away. It's also kind of like laws of a faerie realm, being always interpreted literally without regard for moral context - if you kill someone purely by accident, you get the trait just as surely as a remorseless mass murderer.